CHAMPIONS OF THE BLIGHT
by FYA2597
Summary: First book of a new series. An AU world where all seven origin options are alive, while they might not all be Wardens they do have important parts to play. Full summary inside.
1. Introduction

**Update 1.1**

 **Date: March 5th, 2016**

 **Fixed spelling mistakes and grammatical errors**

* * *

 **AN: Hello everyone and welcome to my new series...**

 _ **DRAGON AGE: TWISTED TALES: Vol.1**_

 _ **DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS**_

 _ **CHAMPIONS OF THE BLIGHT**_

 **This series will take place in an AU version of the Dragon Age world. The series will include AU versions of games, books, movies and comics from the franchise. There will be main entries in the series and if those stories and characters are well received there may be spinoffs.**

 **This first entry will use all seven possible origin characters in the story. While not all of them become Grey Wardens, they will all have very important roles to play, here and in the future.**

 **It is very important that I mention here and now that the story will feature many mature themes. Some readers may find these scenes offensive and some may find them triggering, w** **hen ever I write one of these chapters I will first place a warning at the top of the page. I hope that this way we may all be able to enjoy the story.**

 **I own nothing, Dragon age belongs to someone else.**

 **Now that that is out of the way I hope you enjoy the story!**

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 _ **INTRODUCTION**_

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 ** _C_** ** _hoices, there may be nothing more powerful than the choices we make or the choices that are made for us. A simple choice of where to go, of who to speak to, of how we act, these things as insignificant as they may seem in the moment, tend to have far reaching consequences. Take for example the choice of a lone Grey Warden in search of a recruit; Orzammar, Highever, the Alienage, the Brecilian Forest or the Circle Tower. When this Warden is forced to seek out his recruit he is left with only enough time to search in one of these places, the other six are left behind to suffer at the cruel hands of fate. Yet here, now, as we look upon vast web of diverging fates there is one series of events that is different than the rest. A world where the Warden Commander had time to stop more than once in his search, a world where these men and women do not die, but instead each play important roles in the story. Sadly this is not where the differences end, in the end someone must always suffer, in the end someone must always die. So come, look upon this world of love and loss, beauty and terror, joy and pain, life and death. Come, listen to the tale of these seven souls and their loyal friends. Come and listen to the tale of the CHAMPIONS OF THE BLIGHT._**

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 **AN: Hey! I know that the story hasn't even started (this only the introduction), but I do hope that everyone liked it!** **So comment, favorite and follow while I finish up the first chapter**


	2. Prologe 1

**Update 1.1**

 **Date: March 5th, 2016**

 **Fixed spelling mistakes and grammatical errors**

* * *

 **AN: Hello every one! I hope you enjoy the first official chapter of** _ **CHAMPIONS OF THE BLIGHT**_

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 ** _PROLOGE PART 1_**

 ** _COUSLAND PART 1_**

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Denerim, the capital city of Ferelden, Marcus loved coming here with his father. It had always been a chance to learn, to explore, to meet new people, spend time with his friends or go to court with his father. Yet, as much fun as all that was, there was always something that felt wrong here. Denerim was probably the same size as Highever, looked almost the same, yet there was one big difference, the people. It wasn't anything obvious; there were humans, elves, even the occasional dwarf, no, it was nothing like that. The problem was the quality of life. Highever wasn't perfect, he knew that, but anyone with eyes could see that the people there lived better lives then the people in the capitol. It was a sad truth, one that he had seen first-hand just a few hours ago.

Earlier in the day he had gone to visit the Alienage, hoping to explore or maybe make some new friends, something he had always been good at, yet the moment he had step foot inside the gated off section he could feel the elves glaring daggers at him. At first he had shrugged it off, he was used to the impoverished looking at him with anger and jealousy, but he couldn't shake the feeling this was different. He had decided to try and talk to some children that he had seen playing, these two girls and a smaller boy sitting by a large tree, instantly a decision he regretted.

One of the girls, about his age with short fiery hair, had started throwing rocks at him, calling him a "damn shemlen", telling him to leave them alone. The other girl stood and watched, looking at him with just as much anger, while the boy ran, calling for someone. That had been enough to shock him, he knew elves and humans didn't get along most of the times but you'd think from the way she was acting that he had personally insulted her mother. He was only thankful she couldn't throw for shit because she really was trying her hardest to hit him. Before anything else could happen the guard that his father had assigned to watch him and not let out of his sight (a task Marcus exceled at making difficult) finally caught up to him.

At learning that the human boy that they were looking at was the son of one of the most powerful men in Ferelden had removed any sign of hate from the faces of the gathering adults, at that moment they were too busy being terrified. Most had ran away while the rest looked like they about to pass out.

Almost as soon as his guard got there the Alienage elder and the parents of the children, including the father of the second girl (another red head, probably related to the one who had been throwing rocks by the looks of it) had come to apologize. Marcus really didn't care about it; in fact he was mostly just confused why they had done it in the first place. He looked at the second girl and he saw something in her face. Not fear like the adults, he saw hate, pure hate. He had never met this girl before, spoken five words to her at most and yet for some reason she looked like she wanted nothing more than to beat him to a bloody pulp. He must have been staring at her for too long because her father pulled her closer and with a voice barely above a whisper begged for Marcus to forgive her. Hearing the girls father Marcus looked at the man, in his face there was terror. He realized that this man wasn't just asking him to forgive her, he was asking him to spare her life.

He was speechless, the fear, the hate, what had these people gone thru to look at him this way? He had apologized to them all and left as fast as he could, feeling the girls cold stare the entire time. The walk back to the estate his family was staying in was a long one, the entire time he thought about what he had just witnessed. He thought about what those people must have gone through, what must have happened for them to look at him the way they did and soon he started to notice something. Along the way he could see elves on the street, some working, some asking for money, all of them ignored or harassed by the people who walked by. He was speechless, why, why did they do that!? How could they treat these people this way? How could the guards see it and do nothing? Worse, how could they join in? He hurried home, sick of what he had seen and quickly growing sick of Denerim.

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Later that evening while Marcus was in his room reading one of the books his tutor Aldous had him studying when he heard a knock on his door before it opened. Already knowing who it was he turned around and gave the man in the door way a small smile.

"Hello father, how was your meeting with the King?"

Bryce Cousland smiled at his son before sitting down beside him.

"It went well pup, the King has agreed that we should begin to reopen trade talks with Orlais. It was difficult to convince the Arls and Arlessas, especially with Teyrn Loghain doing his best to oppose us, but thankfully the King saw reason."

Bryce had always been so proud of Marcus for taking an interest for politics at such a young age. Four years Fergus's younger yet already he was catching up to him in sword play, as well as showing the mind and patience for leadership that Fergus just didn't seem interested in. Whenever he traveled Bryce would make sure to bring Marcus with him, he thought it was important to introduce him to the Arls and Arlessas, even letting him listen in on the few times he had to go to court. At that thought Bryces face went serious, reminded of the reason he had come to his sons room now to begin with. Marcus hadn't gone to court with him, something Marcus always looked forward to, something had happened this morning to make him stay locked up in his room all day and he needed to know exactly what.

"Enough about me pup, I hear that you had a very interesting morning."

Marcus looked away, still troubled with todays events "Nothing happened."

"Marcus, those children were throwing stones at you. Obviously something happened. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing!" He dropped his head. "I did nothing, but they hate me, they're afraid of me, because I'm me. A noble, a Human, I represent everyone that's wronged them in their lives."

Bryce sighed; his son was kind person in cruel world. the thought that Marcus had been the one who had started it never crossed his mined, he just assumed they had been stupid, cruel children. This was worse, for a moment he was worried if living in Highever, where conditions were much better for the elves, for most people in the kingdom, had left his son unprepared for the real world. He was going to say something but his son spoke up again.

"I know that back home thing are not perfect, but at least people don't have to be afraid of being beaten in the streets because of the shape of their ear. Or can at least trust that the guards will do something about it."

Bryce looked at his son, "Is that why you chose not to come with me today?"

"The King, the Arl, they know what happens but they don't do anything. I was afraid that if I had gone with you I might say something stupid." Marcus slumped his shoulders before sitting straight and looking at his father.

"What they're doing is wrong; a lord's duty is to protect the people who serve under him, all of them, not just his race. The King, the Arl, by doing nothing they are just as guilty as the people who actually commit these horrible crimes. If the day comes that I am ever a lord I will do everything in my power to help the elves, to help everyone, equally."

For a moment Bryce was speechless, never had he heard his son speak with such passion, certainty and sincerity. He smiled at his son and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You would make a great lord, just and fair. Never lose your commitment pup, I believe that one day you will change the world."

Bryce had come to Denerim with an idea, something he had been toying with, now he was certain. When he got back to Highever he and Eleanor would have to have a long talk about their sons future, his future as Teyrn of Highever.

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 **AN: Hey! Hope everyone enjoyed that**

 **If you have any suggestions or complaints please leave a comment**

 **With school I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post a new chapter but I'll do the best I can**

 **See you then!**


	3. Prologe 2

**Update 1.1**

 **Date: March 5th, 2016**

 **Fixed spelling mistakes and grammatical errors**

* * *

 **AN: HELLO! I hope everyone is having a good day!**

 **Today I introduce you to our second protagonist in this wonderful story... The City Elf!**

 **Now I hope you enjoy the story!**

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 ** _PROLOGE PART 2_**

 ** _TABRIS PART 1_**

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Suledin knew there was going to be trouble from the second that smug little noble had walked up to them. She could smell the privilege on him, figuratively and literally. Like the old saying went, if he doesn't have shit on him he must be a king. Clean, walking with his back strait and a smile on his face the prick was here probably to pick on some easy targets. Noticing him first she had decided she wasn't going to do anything unless he actually started some shit. Hopefully he'd leave soon, she'd try to swipe his purse and if she was lucky he'd have a few silvers. A score like him, her, her mom and dad could eat fresh food for a month. Sadly her plans went to hell the second he started talking to them. Shianni was less tolerant of shems then her and much less forward thinking.

A part of her knew that she should have stopped Shianni, that getting on a humans bad side would never end well, but another part of her equally wanted to join in. It didn't matter if he was just a kid, humans always brought trouble. So while Shianni threw rocks and Soris went to get some adults that would actually do something other than stare, she had just stood there, not willing to get involved but ready to step in if he tried anything. The little brat must not have been used to elves doing anything other serving him and his whims because he was so shocked he hardly moved, then again Shianni couldn't throw for shit so it's not like he had anything to worry about.

Just as quickly as it began it ended when his bodyguard, her dad, Shiannis mom and Valendrian the Hahren came running towards them. She was surprised when the kid didn't order his guard to kill them right away, especially when the guard started shouting. Apparently he was the son of some big important lord that was visiting the city, something she vaguely remembered overhearing the other day, but she didn't care about that. No, what she cared about was how just about everyone there was practically on their knees begging for this little pricks forgiveness. No 'are you kids okay', no 'did he do anything to you', nothing, just "Forgive them my lord." "They didn't know what they were doing my lord." "Are you okay my lord?". It made her sick, hated every maker damn second of it. They hadn't done anything yet they had to sit there begging for this little shits forgiveness? This was wrong and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

She just stood there wishing she could kill the prick. He noticed her staring and stared right back at her, but unlike every other human she had ever seen there was no disgust or hate in his eyes. He just looked at her like she was the strangest thing he had seen, like she was a puzzle to solve. Soon her dad noticed and pulled her close, probably afraid he would do something, but he didn't. The noble prick actually apologized to them and just left! It was the weirdest thing she had ever seen. As soon he was out of sight everyone was finally able to relax again, at least until they remembered the kids.

Shianni got a smack on the head and was dragged the whole way home by the ear while Suledin's dad looked her in the eyes with a serious yet worried glare.

"Sul, what happened?"

"Daaaad, I didn't do anything." Suledin said in a tired and exagerated sigh.

"Suledin!" he shouted, looking frustrated and annoyed "You know how dangerous humans can be, as soon as you saw him you should have come looking for me like Soris did."

"And what, I should have just left Shianni on her own with him? I couldn't just leave her here." It was his turn to sigh, she wouldn't like it be she needed to learn.

"It isn't your job to protect her, if she isn't smart enough to get out of there right away then there's nothing you can do for her."

She was shocked, her father had always insisted on her staying safe, on never taking risks, but this? This was unbelievable. How could he say something like that? Shianni was her cousin, his niece, and he was telling her it was ok to just abandon her!? In that moment she had lost all respect for her da… no, for him. If that was the way he would treat his people, his family, then she didn't want to have anything to do with him and she certainly wouldn't consider him as her dad. She looked at him with the same face she had looked at the human boy earlier.

"If that's really what you think then you're no better than humans."

She ignored him calling after her as she ran deeper into the alienage. With tears in her eyes and her heart beating in her ear she ran to her own private corner.

* * *

She sat there, hidden in the shade of a tree that had been long forgotten by everyone else. She loved it here, so calm, relaxing, the perfect place to get away from the world, it was exactly what she needed right now. Right now more than most days she hated just about everyone in the alienage, their lives were shit and they just accepted it. How could they do that? How could they let the humans get away with that and not do anything about it? They had suffered so much, lost so much and most days it was like they just didn't care. She hated this so much, hated humans so much some days she thought about trying to make it with the Dalish.

As she sat there Suledin was so buried in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize she wasn't alone anymore until someone was sitting down beside her.

"I always liked this spot, so few people even know it's here, I guess that's what makes it so special." Suledin was at first startled to see her mother sitting beside her but quickly threw her arms around her.

Adaia held her daughter close to her. It hurt her to see her upset like this, she hated it. She had always done whatever she could to protect her, taught her to fight, to sneak around, to steal and even pick locks. Sure most of these weren't things a conventional mother would want her daughter to know, but she wasn't exactly conventional. Her own mother had been a Dalish who feel in love with a city elf and she wanted her daughter to learn the same things she had been taught. This was never something her husband had been happy about and repeatedly tried to stop but she wouldn't have any of it. They lived in the real world, she knew that she wouldn't always be there to protect Suledin but she would make sure she didn't have to be.

"Tell me da'len, what's wrong?"

"I hate them, all of them. The humans, for taking everything from us and all the damn elves here for just accepting it. Now whenever someone tries to stand up for themselves everyone just pushes them down. I hate it, I hate it all!"

Adaia slowly stroked Suledins head. She understood exactly what her daughter was feeling she just needed to find a way to let her know.

"Do you remember the first time I brought you here?" Suledin looked up at her mother, her eyes still red, trying to remember.

"Yeah, it was…" her voice trailed off as she remembered that day.

"It was the day that the Templars came to take Neria away."

"Yeah…" She had no idea why her mother was bringing that up now, it was really just making her feel worse.

"You were so upset; you had been crying for hours, nothing that anyone said or did could cheer you up. So, I carried you here, waited until you had calmed down enough to listen and I told something, do you remember what it was I said?"

Suledin wiped her face before answering. "You told me what my name meant."

"That's right," her mother smiled. "I told you that your name, Suledin, means endure. I gave you that name because I knew from the moment you were born that you were strong. I told you, no matter what life does to hurt you, to get in your way and try to stop you it wouldn't, because you are a survivor. Life won't be easy, it defiantly hasn't started out easy for you, but whatever may come you will push on and be stronger for it." Adaia hugged her daughter tight against her as tears formed in her own eye. "So never let them push you down, you keep fighting, you endure and then one day, I know that you can change the world."

Suledin was hugging her mother as tight as she could, as if letting go would cause her to float away and in a voice barley above a whisper chocked out, "I won't, I promise you I won't give up."

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 **AN: Yes, she says that now, but can she keep that promise? How much can our little friend really survive? How far exactly do I plan to push?**

 **All excellent question that will need to be answered another day!**

 **Now just a few tidbits of information**

 **1st. Suledin is Elven for endure, strength to withstand loss**

 **I found this on the dragon age wiki and thought that it would be a great fit for the character and her personality**

 **2nd. Her nickname is forever known as Sul, because that's easier for the characters to say and for me to write**

 **3rd. It was mentioned that Suls grandma was a Dalish elf, this is my way of explaining where their combat skills come from.**

 **Sul isn't as skilled as a Dalish, she's just much better then a common thief when it comes to knives, tracking and stealth.**

 **4th. Neria is the elf mage character, childhood crush of Sul and the next main character in the story**

 **Well that's it, hope everyone enjoyed the story, please favorite, follow, review (it motivates me to write faster), and let me know if you have any suggestion or notice anything that doesn't seem right**

 **I'll see you all next time**

 **Peace**

 **PS. Hey, did anyone catch the Monty Python and the Holy Grail easter egg I put in there, the first person to find it and tell me in the comments gets a prize!**


	4. Prologe 3

**Update 1.1**

 **Date: March 5th, 2016**

 **Fixed spelling mistakes and grammatical errors**

* * *

 **AN: Hi everybody! Hope everyone has been having a good time. Sorry about the wait I needed sometime to write this chapter, it was difficult for a number of reasons but in the end it also gave me time to better understand how I want my story to unfold so it's all for the best.**

 **Before I start the story I want to make a few thing clear**

 **!This chapter has a trigger warning, the sensitive part of the story has been marked so that if you want to you can skip it and read the rest of the chapter!**

 **1\. All seven of the origin characters are the same age in the story, they were all born the same year**

 **2\. In the last chapter Sul refers to Marcus being a 'kid', a 'brat', she does this because even though they are the same age everything she has gone through makes her feel older and more mature then kids her age**

 **3\. The origin characters are all twelve too thirteen**

 **4\. This chapter is taking place on the same day as the last two chapters**

 **All right that's it here we go!**

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 ** _PROLOGE PART 3_**

 ** _SURANA PART 1_**

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Neria loved the library that the tower had, for so long it had been her only relief. The day she got here it had been so cold, so lonely, separated from her family and friends. Her parents had disowned her the second they had found out she had magic, but that hadn't been the worst part, what hurt more was leaving behind Sul. She had been her best friend, they had spent every minute together and she was her first love. She had never been able to tell her, no matter how much she wanted to, but even now five years later she still thought about her. The only thing that she had brought from her home had been a necklace that Sul had given to her just before she left, knowing Sul it had probably been stolen.

It had been so hard get used to the tower, but she was thankful for two things, the library and Jowan. After months of every night either crying herself to sleep or reading until dawn she had finally made her first friend when Jowan first talked to her. Some of the other children had ganged up on her, being new and an elf she was the easiest target. She had dealt with this sort of thing back home but before she had always had Sul or Shianni to hide behind, now she was alone. Just as she started to get worried they might actually hurt her was when she saw him.

Jowan had come charging in kicking and yelling at the other kids, started saying how they'd have to go thru him if they wanted to bother me. They probably wouldn't have left us alone even after his "impressive" display, but it had turned out that he had drawn one of the enchanters with all the noise he had been making. Everyone had gotten a scolding and the bullies had been sent on their way. Once they were alone Jowan had turned to her and let out a breath he had been holding in before saying just how glad he was that it was all over. They had laughed and talked for hours, before they even knew it the two of them had become the best of friends.

Neria smiled at the memory of how they had become such good friends, he was like the little brother she never had. Eventually, to her surprise, the bullying had for the most part stopped. At some point everyone had realized that there were no Humans or Elves, here there were just mages and everyone else. Thankfully even that sad truth came with its own silver lining. Neria was a kind, warm, gentle soul that got along with everyone; and soon she had become friends with almost everyone. She was adored by her teachers and peers alike. Yet even that was not her greatest strength.

With her zeal for reading she had learned thing sooner and above what the other apprentices were learning, she had soon surpassed them in knowledge and skill. She had a gift for magic and making that gift shine was her passion, not like she had anything else to be passionate about here but still. Even though she excelled at her studies she made sure to help the other apprentices whenever she could, never once believing her skills put her above the others in the tower.

This had become her life and for what it was worth she was happy with it. Her world was small and cold, it had its dangers like any other. It was repetitive and to many it was boring, but for that she was grateful. It was nice, it was calm and thankfully nothing to exciting happened, at least for awhile.

It wasn't often that someone was moved to a different circle but almost a month ago there had been a transfer. Two apprentices around her age had been brought to the tower, instantly becoming the center of everyone's attention and gossip.

They had been sent from the circle in Kirkwall, two boys. At first Neria had been just as excited as everyone else to meet them and get to know them, but the two of them just wouldn't talk to anyone. She didn't mind, she knew it must have been difficult for them to be somewhere new. So she gave them their space, hoping that soon they would be ready to open up. While she waited for them to be ready to talk she watched them, in class and soon realized that they were more interesting then everyone thought. The two of them, they were skilled, before they came she had been unique, more skilled then even some apprentices who were a few years older than her, with these two hear, she wouldn't be that special anymore.

For her it really wasn't so bad, she never liked the idea of being "better" then everyone, hopefully now she wouldn't be held on such a pedestal and maybe actually able to relax. Also, if she were to be completely honest with herself, she couldn't help but think of how cute one of them was. Lucian. Black short hair, dark eyes and just the smallest hint of muscle under his robes, which was more than any other mage in the Circle had. Just thinking about him made her blush.

It was now a month after the two of them had arrived and while wandering around by herself in library she found herself thinking about them, Lucian and Sam. She sighed, unable to get the thought of the two mystery boys out of her head, at least until she felt herself walk into something hard. She fell to floor, wondering just what had happened.

"Why don't you watch where you're going girl!" She looked up at the voice, quickly beginning to shake in fear of the two armored men standing in front of her.

"Fo-fo-forgive me Mr. Templar sir, sirs. I, I, I didn't see you there."

"No you didn't, did you? Had your head too far in the clouds to see anything." The Templar that she had walked in too, the taller of the two, stood over her with a fixed scowl on his face. He looked as if he was going to say something else before his friend spoke up.

"What exactly is it that a girl like you is doing in the library this late at night? Are you sneaking around little mage? Doing something you shouldn't?" He leered at her with sick smile on his face that sent chills down her back.

"No, no of course not I was ju-"

"Why, I think you were sneaking around little mage and do know what kind of mage sneaks around?" The shorter Templar smiled at his friend.

"You think she's a blood mage?" The taller one looked to the other.

"I think she just might be." That sick, twisted smile of his grew and at that moment she couldn't breathe.

"No, no no no no! I'm not! I didn't do anything please, please just let me go!" Neria was panicking, she had heard the stories from the older apprentices, about what some of the Templars would do if they caught you by yourself, but she had always thought they were just trying to scare her, she never thought this could actually happen. She tried to stand up, to move away from them, but as soon as she was on her feet they had her against the wall.

 **AN: Trigger Warning, if you are sensitive to the subject of rape skip to -AN: Trigger Warning End**

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"Oh yeah, this one here's a blood mage and blood mages got to be punished, don't they?" The shorter one chuckled.

"Certainly, but, she's a little young, isn't she? She's probably no more than thirteen, maybe twelve?" His friend asked.

The shorter one looked Neria up and down while chewing on his lip. "From the looks of her I'd say you're right, but you know what they say," He looked Neria in the eyes, red from tears and trembling. He ran his hand through her golden hair, "the younger, the sweeter." As soon as he finished saying that he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back.

Neria yelled out in pain, hopping, praying that this wasn't happing. She tried to talk to them, tried to beg them not to do this, but nothing came out. Her words were stuck in her throat chocked out by her sobs. They were going to hurt her, use her, Maker they might kill her and there was nothing she could do.

She closed her eyes as she felt one of them grab at the hems of her robes. She felt one of them lower his head to her ear, "We're going to have fun with you tonight little mage." She turned her head away and prayed, prayed that whatever they were going to do it would be quick.

* * *

 **AN: Trigger Warning End**

That was when he appeared.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" At the sound of their visitor the two Templars groaned in irritation before letting her go so they could confront him.

"This is Templar business boy, walk away before we have to deal with you too!" The Templars walked away from Neria to deal with the newcomer, as soon as they did she fell to her knees, hugging herself and sobbing uncontrollably.

"I don't think you two know what you are getting yourselves into." The new comer had walked right up to them unafraid of anything they could possibly do to him. "That girl over there, the one you attacked that's Wynnes star pupil, Irvings soon to be apprentice."

"So? You think we give a shit who she is?"

"You should, because if Irving find out you did something to her he's not going to go after you. No, he's going to go to Greagoir and he will make sure to have your heads for this." At hearing this they looked at each other with concern.

"This will not end well for either of you, so I suggest you leave now before my friend in the hall runs up to the first enchanters room and tells him all about you two, understood?" The two of them were shocked, furious. They stood there for a moment before storming out of the library and slamming the door shut.

Neria, who this whole time hadn't moved out of fear of drawing the attention back to her, soon noticed someone kneeling in front of her. The second she felt a hand on her shoulder she yelled, jumping back. Her back hit the wall and she looked up to see who the hand belonged to. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was Lucian. He was kneeling in front of her with his hand held out and his face covered with concern. To think just minutes ago she couldn't get him out her head, that this was the mysterious boy she had a crush on and now here he was saving her life. Was she dreaming? She realized that she had been silently staring at him for a few moments when he started to move closer to her.

"It's okay, you are alright, they're gone now and they can't hurt you. Do you understand?" At hearing this she reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Thank you…" they sat there for what felt like a life time. Her holding him, crying into his shoulder while saying thank you again and again while he held her, softly caressing her head. Eventually he gently pulled her off of him and looked her in the eyes.

"Neria, my name Lucian, Lucian Amell. Now I'm going to get my friend Sam, he is just outside that door and we are going to get you to your bed. I'm so sorry this happened to you, I promise that those men will never hurt you again, okay?" She just nodded, not really registering most of what he had said. She looked up into eye and did her best to smile.

"Thank you, so much Lucian. You saved my life, I could never repay you…" She almost started crying again but then he smiled at her and gently wiped her tears off with his hand.

"You don't have to thank me, that's just what friends do." And then she really did smile.

Whatever else had happened, however horrible the day had been, she knew that she had Lucian as a friend and that seemed to make things better.

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 **AN: Wow this chapter was hard to do, I honestly want to go take a bath after having to write those two disgusting Templars.** **I mean there were a few lines that were either cut or changed because I honestly felt it was just to much.**

 **Sadly this will not be the last time we see these two or the last time I have to use the trigger warning.**

 **For those of you that chose to skip that small scene I understand and I want you to know Lucian stepped in before anything was actually done to Neria.**

 **Now to speak to my lovely reviewers:**

 **Guest 1 and 2: I'm really glad that you like it, if you notice any major spelling or grammar errors let me know**

 **Matthew78 : Thank you for the suggestion, when it comes to character pairings I'm not 100% with most of my character so I do appreciate the feed back. I do agree with you completely that the nobles and the Chantry would not be ok with Marcus being with a mage or Elf. There would definitely be consequences if it went that way, but there are few things to care about: does Marcus care what those people think and remember that a blight is hard thing be in alone, sometimes couples breakup once it's over or maybe one of them dies before it ends. I will not promise anything this early in the story but I do want you to know that anything is possible.**

 **As for OC's, Sam is just the first, there are more planned and the possibility for OC pairing is there.**

 **Before I go I have one last thing for you, a clue about the an important character in the story, the star of our next chapter...**

 **Lucian Stern Amell**

 **That is his full name, the first person to figure out what it means and write the answer in a comment before the next chapter is posted will get a prize!**

 **That's right you'll get to ask me one question about the story that I have to answer.**

 **Alright everyone, that's it! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. BYE!**


	5. Prologe 4

**Update 1.1**

 **Date: March 5th, 2016**

 **Fixed spelling mistakes and grammatical errors**

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 **AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in the updates but I thought that since I had a little bit of a contest going on (plus a crazy school life that keeps me busy almost 24/7) I thought that I would wait a few more days before posting.**

 **So ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls I give you our next main character... Lucian Stern Amell!**

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 ** _PROLOGE PART 4_**

 ** _AMELL PART 1_**

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Lucian had been in the hall talking with Samuel when he heard it, a yell. He stopped talking so he could listen in, hearing what sounded like two men talking and a third voice crying. He looked at his friend and shared a quick look before walking away, at the last moment he looked back, "You know what you have to do." The look on his face was serious and the tone he used left nothing to doubt, there was no room to argue. Samuel looked at him with a concerned, tired face before sighing and simply nodding his agreement.

He walked quickly thru the library towards the sound of the voices, turning a corner what he saw there made him sick to his stomach. Two Templars stood over Neria and had her pinned against a book shelf. He could hear the glee in their voices as they spoke about defiling a child. This had gone on long enough.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" At the sound of their new guest the two Templars groaned in irritation before letting her go so they could confront him. They looked at him, angry that their fun had been cut short.

"This is Templar business boy, walk away before we have to deal with you too!" The Templars walked away from Neria to deal with him, he quickly looked behind them to check on her only to see her sitting on the floor crying into her knees.

"I don't think you two know what you are getting yourselves into." Lucian closed the distance between himself and the two cockroaches "That girl over there, the one you attacked that's Wynnes star pupil, Irvings soon to be apprentice."

"So? You think we give a shit who she is?"

"You should, because if Irving find out you did something to her he's not going to go after you. No, he's going to go to Greagoir and he will make sure to have your heads for this." At hearing this they looked at each other with concern.

"This will not end well for either of you, so I suggest you leave now before my friend in the hall runs up to the first enchanters room and tells him all about you two, understood?" The two of them were shocked, furious. The way they looked at him he was certain they would love to kill there and now. They stood there for a moment before storming out of the library and slamming the door shut.

As soon as they left he slowly walked up to Neria and knelt in front of her. As he gently reached out, touching her shoulder to try to comfort her she jumped back, he could see tears running down her face and fear in her eyes. He looked her over, checking to make sure that she hadn't been hurt. After a few moments of not moving or talking, of her simply staring at him he decided that she had calmed down enough to try it again and slowly moved towards her.

"It's okay, you are alright, they're gone now and they can't hurt you. Do you understand?" It took a second for what he said to click for her but once it did she reached out and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Thank you…" They sat there for a bit, he held her in his arms, caressing her head as she cried into his shoulder. Gently pulling her off him he looked her in the eyes before talking.

"Neria, my name Lucian, Lucian Amell. Now I'm going to get my friend Sam, he is just outside that door and we are going to get you to your bed. I'm so sorry this happened to you, I promise that those men will never hurt you again, okay?" She nodded at him, a small smile touching her lips but simply didn't make it to her eyes.

"Thank you, so much Lucian. You saved my life, I could never repay you…" From the sound of it she was about to start crying again but then he smiled at her and gently wiped her tears off with his hand.

"You don't have to thank me, that's just what friends do." That was when he was her really smile.

Regardless of how difficult this night had been Neria was his friend now and that, well that made all of it worth it.

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Half an hour later Lucian and Samuel were leaving the female apprentice quarters, having just left Neria in the hands of her friend Petra, but not before making sure they knew that they would be there in an instant should they need anything. So after saying there good byes to the two girls and convincing a shaken Jowan who had stayed up waiting for his friend that everything was fine the two boys were finally alone. Samuel shook his head and sighed after looking at his friend.

"What a waste of time. Explain to me why we just went thru all that trouble?" Lucian, tired, passed a hand thru his hair while his sleep deprived brain dredged up a response.

"I told you, we need her to trust us, to be her friend. Orchestrating that whole unpleasantness was the best and fastest way to do it." He turned to his companion with a questioning look on his face. "Did you do as I asked?"

"Yes, payed them five silvers each, as agreed upon." Samuel sighed, "Two months' worth of scrounging wasted so you could play the hero and make friends with the little bitch. Should of just let them rape her, would have been cheaper and an easy way to get them in our pockets."

"Those two scums are irrelevant, Neria on the other hand is key." He looked at his friend with an annoyed look. "The smartest, most skilled apprentice and adored by all. In a few years once she has gone thru her Harrowing she will be a major player in circle politics, whether she knows it or not."

"So, you want a pawn you can control? Fine, I get it, but what I don't understand was why you had to go thru all that trouble with the Templars. Would it not have been easier for you to just make her fall in love with you? You've seen the way she looked at you whenever we passed by in the halls, she's obviously into you." Lucian sighed, a disappointed look at hearing what his friend had said.

"She had a crush on me, that would have passed, but now, now she adores me. Like you said I am the hero that swooped in and saved her from those evil Templars. That is something that she will never forget and neither will anyone else." A small smile spread across Samuel's face as he began to realize the implication.

"A brilliant play as always, so, what is our next move?" Lucian smiled at his friend before he began to make his way back to the apprentice room.

"Up, my friend, we go up."

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A week had passed and Lucian had gone from being the mysterious newcomer to being the most popular apprentice in the tower. Neria had spent almost the entire time at his side, as well as her friends Jowan and Petra, thanking him constantly for saving her life. The more time they spent with him the more word got out on what it was that he had done. Soon everyone wanted to know the story of his heroic act, he did his best to simply play it off, he didn't want anyone to think he wanted the attention.

Of course Samuel played his part excellently; doing his best to spread the story, boasting their heroics to whoever listened. He even began to try and charm Neria's friend Petra, at Lucian's suggestion. Petra was nowhere near as naive as her friend, but since they had her trust it did make it easier for him to attempt it. Jowan had been even simpler than his friends; he was a fool, barley capable of the simplest of magic's. He was already spending most of his time thanking them, saying how he owed them, how he would one day make up for saving his friend, a few well-placed compliments, some minor tips on casting spells and they had him dancing at their every word.

The cockroaches had been a bit upset with Lucian afterwards; claiming he had tricked them by not telling them who the girl had been before it was too late, another silver each and those concerns quickly vanished. He hated having to use such disgusting people to do his dirty work, he took no pleasure in what he had made them do, it had been necessary for him, they on the other hand enjoyed their work. Sadly he would most likely need them in the future if he was to act without any unwanted attention.

As expected the story of what happened soon passed from apprentice to mage, from mage to enchanters and all the way up. Before long he had been brought before Irving and Greagoir, the later demanding to know if the rumor were true. He knew what the Commander wanted to hear and gave him exactly that. He told him how the stories were all false, simply over active imaginations with too much time on their hands. However much he hated those two cockroaches and would gladly see them rot Samuel had been right, having two Templars in your pocket was invaluable, so for now he kept them safe.

Now while playing the scared apprentice and stroking the ego of that fool of a Commander had been a complete bore, the First Enchanter had been anything but. As soon as Greagoir had left the room Lucian had turned to leave as well, before he was stopped.

"Just a moment lad, I would like talk with you for just a moment if you don't mind." Irving spoke up from behind his desk; his low gravelly voice spoke wisdom while his soft smile carried a kind, warm and welcoming feeling. It was the perfect mask for a First Enchanter; he wondered how many mages, had been lured in by it. "I wanted to thank you for what you did the other day, for helping Neria despite the risk to yourself."

"Sir, like I said early, nothing happened."

"Nonsense boy, you don't become First Enchanter by not knowing what happens in your own circle." That he didn't doubt, ' _how many little rats do you have running around I wonder?_ ' no matter, he would find out who answered to who soon enough.

"Now I wanted to discuss your future here at the circle. First Enchanter Maceron speaks very highly of you, said you were one of the most talented apprentices in the Gallows and you have certainly shown that you live up to your reputation."

"Thank you sir, I try to do the best that I can, but I doubt that I'm worthy of such praise."

"Don't sell yourself short now; you are most certainly one of the most skilled apprentices that I have seen in my many years and I want to see your talents grow. So after much consideration I have decided that I shall be personally taking you on as my apprentice." He wanted to smile as soon as he heard it, apprentice to the First Enchanter, it was a very sought after spot, he needed to play this just right, act shock, not let on that he had been expecting this.

"Sir, I'm honored that you would even consider to take me on personally, but certainly there is someone else more deserving, like Neria, I would have thought you would choose her." Irving smiled, glad to see just how 'humble' I was.

"Neria is certainly a skilled girl, with much talent, but I believe those talents lie down a certain path. That is why Senior Enchanter Wynne has agreed to mentor her. As for you Lucian, I hope to see you grow into a fine mage under my care."

"Thank you Sir, I'll do my best to live up to your expectations." There it was, after a month of planning everything had been set. That incident with Neria had been risky, but it had already paid off. The number of allies, of 'friends' that he had in the tower was steadily growing, now with the First Enchanter as his mentor he would be officially included in circle politics, one way or another. He would have to be especially careful from now on as to how much he would progress, too slow, he would miss out on any real opportunities, too fast; he would make himself a target for both paranoid Templars and jealous mages. Regardless of the risk Lucian knew he was up to the task. In due time everything would fall into place, he simply needed a bit of patience, then, then he would live like a king.

* * *

 **AN: Surprise! Lucian is actually a manipulative jerk. Yes, poor little Neria, being used like that, but if I'm being 100% honest what happened to her isn't even the worst thing that I plan on doing to my main characters.**

 **Now, my lovely readers, I would like to talk to all of you about two things, first something that I love so, so much. That my friends, are OC's. Now I have said before that I plan on including OC's in my story but before I do I would like to ask you all what you think about it. Not if I should or shouldn't, but when, where, why and how. If you give me that and I think that it fits with the direction that I want to take my story then I just might.**

 **The Second thing I wanted to talk to you about is the possibility of crossovers. Now just to make myself clear, this story, is not a crossover, but I may use a character or two From something not dragon age if I think it fits well with the story. So what I'm hoping you can do for me is also tell me crossovers you would be interested in seeing, then I can check to see if or how I can use it. Also see how I said "this story", that means that other stories that I write in my _Twisted Tales_ series might be full crossovers. So once again send your ideas and we'll see what happens.**

 **!IMPORTANT REAL WORLD NEWS!**

 **I interrupt this AN to let everyone know that a official poll was put out asking fans of Dragon Age if they would be interested in a Dragon Age tactical game, basically a game that worked like X-Com but was in the world of Dragon Age. That's amazing! I hope they make that, it sounds like it would be awesome!**

 **Oh, just so everyone knows I've decided to extend my little contest until the next chapter, so good luck everyone!**

 **Well that's it, hoped you all enjoy the story so far. As usual, Favorite, Follow, Review and I'll see you all next time!**

 **WAIT! Don't I usually hint at who I plan on writing about next? Is there maybe a hint in this chapter? Go back and read it again, you might just see it. ;)**


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